Today, Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in jail, the maximum penalty, for bilking thousands of people out of billions of dollars over the past few decades. Since Madoff is already 71 years old, the sentence will ensure that he dies in prison (unless he finds a fountain of youth or something, in which case he’ll still spend more time in jail than he’s already spent on this earth).

In court for his sentencing, Madoff was face-to-face with many of his victims, all of whom argued passionately to the judge that Madoff deserved the worst possible punishment. The judge, US District Judge Denny Chin, said that not one person had written a letter of support to the court regarding Madoff’s character, and he himself blasted Madoff for his behavior. From the nearly 9,000 people who have filed claims for losses from Madoff’s financial tricks, it is estimated that he took roughly $65 billion, living in luxury and avoiding scrutiny of his Ponzi scheme.

Madoff’s defense unsuccessfully argued that he deserved just a dozen years in jail. While he got the maximum sentence of 150 years, some say that there’s no punishment harsh enough for a man who stole so much from so many people. But whether there is such a thing as fair punishment in this case, one thing is true: Madoff will forever be a poster child for the greed and corruption that helped to bring the US economy into crisis.